The present invention relates to the field of alarm clocks, and more particularly to an alarm clock incorporating an alarm delay feature, in which an activated alarm signal is rendered inoperative for a period of time, and then automatically reactivated. The present invention further incorporates a remote controller for the activation of such a delay feature.
For most people, the beginning of a work day is announced by an alarm clock. However, the transition from sleep to wakefulness is difficult for many people, and numerous practices and devices have been implemented with the intention of facilitating this transition. Some people use alarm clocks with unpleasant or extraordinarily loud audible signals, to jar the sleeper awake. Others place their alarm clocks at a distance from their beds, so that physical activity is required to deactivate the alarm. Such abrupt methods of waking the sleeper are undesirable to many. For a more gentle transition to wakefulness many "clock radios" are available, in which a radio and an alarm clock are incorporated into a single unit. In most of these devices the user may choose to be awakened by music from a radio broadcasting station of their choice, rather than by a traditional alarm signal. Unfortunately, this approach, while gentle, often results in oversleeping, as it is easy for many to continue to sleep in the presence of music. Indeed, music is often used to encourage sleep.
A middle ground between the abrupt and gentle approach to alarm clocks is found in the use of a "snooze button," by which an activated alarm signal is rendered temporarily inoperative, affording the sleeper additional rest after being initially awakened, and thereby allowing a sleeper opportunity to awaken gradually. In current implementations of such a delay feature, the snooze button is located on the alarm clock, which is then placed in close proximity to the sleeper, to allow the snooze feature to be activated without the sleeper getting out of bed. Unfortunately, convenient use of such a snooze feature requires placement of the clock within close proximity to the user, which can result in several problems First, such placement of the alarm clock unit allows for repeated use of the snooze feature, which can result in oversleeping. Close proximity of the alarm clock unit to the sleeper also allows for easy permanent deactivation of the alarm signal, which again can result in oversleeping. In addition, the common use of luminous or lighted displays for nighttime visibility can prove a significant impediment to sleep when such displays are close to the sleeper. Finally, having to place the alarm clock unit near the sleeper can limit visibility of the time information from other vantage points within the room, as well as conflict with more aesthetic considerations. Although these problems are well known in the art, none of the existing alarm clocks which incorporate a delay or snooze feature address said problems with the same degree of success as the present invention.
Examples of prior art alarm clocks with some kind of remote controller include that taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,316,273 by Jetter, which proposes a local alarm signal unit, placed in close proximity to the sleeper, with a remote unit containing means for deactivating the alarm. The remote placement of the deactivating unit forces the sleeper to get out of bed and move to the location of the deactivating unit in order to stop the alarm signal. In this teaching the awakened person is further required to hold the deactivation switch for several seconds, for the purpose of insuring the operator has thoroughly awakened, and thus preventing oversleeping. Once the deactivation requirements have been met, the disabling of the alarm signal is permanent. The teaching of Jetter further requires that the sleeper either get up immediately and satisfy the requirements for deactivating the alarm system, or otherwise endure the alarm signal. Thus, the teaching of Jetter uses separation of the alarm deactivating means from the alarm signal means in order to abruptly force wakefulness upon the user. Unlike the present invention, allowance is not made in this prior art teaching for causing a delay in the alarm, which denies the sleeper an opportunity to awaken gradually.
Another prior art device in which an alarm clock system is separated into two elements is disclosed by Rothman in U.S. Pat. No. 4,218,875. In this invention, the alarm signal portion of the alarm clock is demountably attached to a clock, and is adapted to be removed from the clock and thrown against a surface without harm to the alarm signal unit. In this teaching, the alarm signal is deactivated following impact of the alarm signal unit with a surface. Thus a cathartic device is provided for a sleeper who is annoyed by the alarm signal, and also provides a novel means for deactivating the alarm. This invention does not, however, provide a means for gradually bringing the sleeper to wakefulness. Also, the invention proposed by this teaching does not help prevent termination of the alarm signal prematurely, that is, before the sleeper is fully awakened. Finally, this invention does not provide remote control over the alarm, as the throw-able portion of the alarm must be attached to the base unit during the inactive period of the alarm.
While the alarm clock systems in the prior art may satisfy some purposes for which they were designed, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as hereinafter described. One of the most important desirable characteristics of an alarm clock system is to ensure that the sleeper comes to full wakefulness by a desirable time, without making the transition from sleep to wakefulness overly abrupt or unpleasant. The present invention makes use of a portable remote control element for delaying the operation of an activated alarm signal of the alarm clock, from a location which is apart from the base unit of the alarm clock. This allows for placement of the alarm clock base unit in a location away from the sleeper, for incorporation of the requirement to rise out of bed and touch said base unit as part of the alarm deactivating protocol for insuring an effective sleep-to-wakefulness transition. Another significant advantage provided by this aspect of the present invention is that the alarm clock base unit can be placed in any convenient location, providing for optimum visibility and aesthetic considerations, with the remote control element providing means for temporarily deactivating the alarm signal. Yet another advantage of the present invention is that oversleeping is prevented by limiting the number of times that the alarm delay signal of the remote control element may be effective, respective to initial activation of the audible alarm signal at a selected preferred alarm time. None of the prior art devices achieve these results as successfully or in the manner proposed by the present invention.